BS 8418:2021Current
Detector-activated, remotely monitored CCTV
If you want police response to monitored CCTV, the system needs to be designed and maintained to BS 8418.
What BS 8418 means for you →
24/7 alarm monitoring
Fire Alarm, Intruder Alarm and CCTV Monitoring, 24/7
Your alarms monitored around the clock, with keyholding, mobile response and police URNs handled for you. SPS Technical installs and maintains the systems and signalling, and SPS Security, part of the same group, provides keyholding and response, coordinated from our Hull head office.
Quick answer
What does commercial alarm monitoring involve?
Commercial alarm monitoring connects fire alarms, intruder alarms and CCTV to a 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which checks each signal and escalates it to keyholders, the emergency services or a response officer. SPS Technical sets up and maintains the signalling, applies for and manages police URNs for intruder alarms, and sends an engineer when a fault is reported. SPS Security, part of the same group, provides keyholding, mobile response and guarding.
- Covers
- Fire alarms, intruder alarms and CCTV
- Escalation
- Keyholders, police or fire service, or SPS Security response
- Faults
- Signalling and system faults flagged for engineer attendance
- Police response
- Intruder alarms only, with police URNs applied for and managed
What we monitor
Monitoring for every system
Fire alarm monitoring
Fire alarm signals monitored 24/7, with your agreed contacts and keyholders called on every activation.
Fire alarm monitoring guideIntruder alarm monitoring
24/7 monitoring with police response where eligible. We apply for and manage the police URN.
Intruder alarm monitoringCCTV monitoring
Alarm-triggered CCTV checked live, with audio warnings and response where needed.
CCTV monitoringKeyholding and response
SPS Security holds your keys and attends alarms, so your staff aren't called out at night.
Keyholding and responseHow it works
From alarm to response, in four steps
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Step 1
Alarm activates
Your fire alarm, intruder alarm or CCTV sends a signal over a dual-path connection.
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Step 2
Checked 24/7
The signal is received and checked against your site's agreed response plan.
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Step 3
Response
Keyholders, a mobile response officer, the police or the fire service, as agreed for your site.
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Step 4
Engineer follow-up
If the cause is a fault, we're told so an engineer can attend and fix it.
What you get
Monitoring that's looked after properly
Monitoring only works if the alarm, the signalling and the response plan are all kept in order. We look after all three.
- 24/7 monitoring of fire alarms, intruder alarms and CCTV
- Dual-path IP and 4G signalling, tested at every service
- Police URN applied for and managed (intruder alarms)
- Agreed contact and keyholder lists, kept up to date
- Faults passed to our engineers for attendance
- Every false alarm reviewed and its cause investigated
Monitoring enquiry
Request a Monitoring Quote or Migration Advice
Whether you need to connect a new system, migrate an older analogue monitoring path to digital, or switch ARC providers — complete the form below and we'll respond with a clear proposal.
Standards that apply
The standards behind monitoring
The British Standards and laws we work to, in plain English. Each one links to a summary page with the current edition and the official source.
NPCC Police Requirements (2026)Current
NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems (2026)
Use a certified installer and an approved alarm receiving centre if you want police response.
What the NPCC police policy means for you →PD 6662:2017Current
Intruder alarm grades and standards in the UK
Your intruder alarm should be designed to a security grade matched to your risk, usually Grade 2 or 3 for businesses.
What PD 6662 means for you →Got a question about monitoring?
Ask the Standards Library. Answers come only from our library and quote their sources.
Try one of these:
Answers come only from our standards library and quote their sources. They are general guidance, not advice for a specific building, and are produced automatically, so check the source before relying on them. Please don't include names or personal details in your question.
Editions checked 12 October 2026 by the SPS Technical team.
FAQs
Alarm monitoring questions
Your alarm is connected to a 24/7 monitoring centre. When it activates, the signal is checked and the right people are contacted straight away: your keyholders, a response officer, the police or the fire service.
For intruder and hold-up alarms with a police URN, yes, subject to demand and the false alarm limits. Police response is never guaranteed. Fire alarms are handled through the fire and rescue service's own procedures.
Yes. For police response you need at least two keyholders who can attend within 20 minutes. SPS Security can act as your keyholder and attend alarms for you.
The monitoring centre is alerted when a signalling path fails, and the fault is passed to us so an engineer can restore it. Dual-path signalling means a single failure doesn't leave you unmonitored.
If your alarm still signals over an analogue phone line, yes. We move alarm signalling to digital or dual-path IP before the line is switched off.
Need someone to respond when it activates?
SPS Security, our sister company, provides key holding, 24/7 alarm response, mobile patrols and guarding, so the same group maintains your system and sends an officer.
Get your alarms monitored
24/7 monitoring, keyholding and response from one local group.
Accreditations
Why trust SPS Technical
Independently certified, working to British Standards. Check every accreditation on the official register.
SSAIB
Registration HUMB018
Intruder alarms to PD 6662, CCTV to SSAIB Code of Practice SS2003, access control to SS2002, and fire alarm systems
Verify at ssaib.orgBAFE SP203-1
Certificate 104302 · Organisation ID 303286
Fire alarm design, installation, commissioning and maintenance to BS 5839-1
Verify at bafe.org.ukISO 9001 and ISO 14001
1208-QMS-001 · 1208-EMS-001
Quality and environmental management, certified by Alcumus ISOQAR. ISO 9001 held since 1997
Safety and procurement
CHAS-0004703 · Constructionline 92018 · SafeContractor PE5040
SSIP health and safety approval, procurement registration and Paxton Gold Installer status
Police-response intruder alarms
For intruder alarms, SPS Technical is an approved installer of police-response systems with the following forces, so your intruder alarm can be issued a police Unique Reference Number (URN) under the NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems.
- Humberside Police
- Lincolnshire Police
- North Yorkshire Police
- South Yorkshire Police
- West Yorkshire Police
- Nottinghamshire Police
- Derbyshire Constabulary
- Greater Manchester Police
Police approval applies to intruder alarms only.
Since 1992
Established in Hull
1,750+
Systems maintained
2,850+
Scheduled service visits a year
4
Regional offices: Hull, Grimsby, Lincoln, Sheffield
Trusted across universities, NHS and healthcare, local authorities, schools and academy trusts, logistics and industrial sites, transport, and stadiums and venues.
Reviewed by the SPS Technical team · Last updated October 2026
Full accreditation details